Men&#39;s undergarment



Nov. 28, 1967 H. T. COUGHLIN ET AL 3,354,880

MEN'S UNDERGARMENT Filed Sept. 23, 1965 INVENTOR HARRY T. COUGHLIN JOSEPH A. CANALE United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Improved mens undergarment construction including a center panel which overlays the front panel, and extends from the waistband and through the crotch area. The brief includes a pouch portion formed by two bias cut pieces joined along one edge and is constructed of a stabilized yarn.

The present invention relates generally to garments and more particularly to a mens support undergarment.

Factors of importance to be considered in a support undergarment are comfort, ease of movement, and firm, gentle support where needed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved article of wearing apparel. v

A further object is to provide an improved support brief for men.

An important feature of the garment or brief constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is the ability of the garment to move with the wearer without binding or becoming disoriented.

To accomplish the foregoing and other objects of the present invention, the invention comprises the features hereinafter described and particularly set out in the claims, the description setting forth in detail, certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are set out to show some of the ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference should be made to the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view of a brief constructed according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view of the brief of FIGUREI turned inside out.

FIGURE 3 is a view of an embodiment of the brief of FIGURE 1 including a pouch area.

The drawings are to be understood to be more or less of a diagrammatic character for the purposes of illustration. Like characters identify the various elements in the several views.

Referring to FIGURE 1, a back panel and front panel 11 are shown. The panels are joined by a waistband 12 at their upper edges and are poined along mating edges which extend generally vertically from the waistband by sewn seams 13 and 14. The mating edges terminate in cut-away portions 15 and 16. A center panel 17 extends from the waistband to the bottom-most edge of the banck panel 10 between the cut-away portions of the back panel. The center panel is attached to the back panel by sewn seam 18. Referring to FIGURE 2, the center panel 17 lies over the front panel 11 for a portion of its length. The front panel, though similar in shape to the back panel, is not coextensive with it. The cut-away portions 15 and 16 are more severe on the front panel. The front panel terminates in a free edge 30.

Referring again to FIGURE 1, the center panel 17 is about as wide as the free edge of the front panel. It is connected to the front panel at the waistband and by two sewn seams extending away from the waistband. One seam 20 extends from the waistband to the vicinity ice of the cut-away portion and the other seam 21 extends from the waistband to a length of about 1 /2 inches with the balance of the panel having a free edge 2112. A trimming tape 22- is sewn along th seams and the free edge on each side. This construction creates a fly portion allowing access through the overlapping panels 11 and 17.

Bindings sewn around the cut-away portions of the back and front panels and along the edges of the center panel which extend below the free edge of the front panel serve to join the three panels on either side and form leg openings 23 and 24. The leg openings are frontward facing as shown in FIGURE 1. This form of leg opening prevents bunching of the material in the crotch area.

Referring to FIGURE 3, a brief is shown with the center panel 17 constructed of two pieces cut on a bias in the area in the front of the crotch so as to form an elongated pouch portion 40. The two pieces are joined in a sewn seam extending the length of the center panel.

The center panel cooperates with the front panel to for-m a novel fly construction of this brief. As shown in the figures, the center panel extends approximately at right angles to the waistband. The sides of this panel are reinforced with a non-elastic tape. The center panel 17 preferably is very slightly tapered toward the waistband. Another feature of the brief of the present invention is the location and construction of the fly area. The free edge of the front panel is cut so that the terminations of the free edge at the cut-away portions of either leg opening are located at substantially equal distances from the waistband. The free edge may be straight or may be slightly concavely curved. The curvature of this free edge is preferably a semicircle so that the free edge at corresponding points about its center is equidistant from the waistband. The resulting symmetry of construction is an important feature of the invention.

Cooperating with this physical symmetry is the feature that this brief is constructed of a stabilized cotton yarn. This adds to the ability of the garment to retain its shape after being worn and laundered. The symmetry of construction is thus retained after wear and laundering so that even support is provided throughout the garment life. There are various known ways of making a garment fabric dimensionally stable. One such is to compressively shrink the fabric before the garment is made.

The result of the above is that the inner free edge of the fly will not distort when the wearer is active since it tends to move with the center panel overlapping it. Also due to the greater overlap of the front and center panels in the fly area, the support is more evenly applied and there is less tendency for inadvertent egress. The frontward facing leg openings cooperate to prevent bunching of the material which could create uneven stress and thereby distort the fly area.

It will be appreciated that the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and that a variety of changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

We claim:

A brief as described comprising in combination: a back panel, a front panel sewed to said back panel along mating side seams, said panels having opposed cut-away portions; an elastic waistband joined to the top edges of said panels, said front panel having a free edge which extends between the cut-away portions and which is slightly concavely curved toward said waistband such that the curve is an arc of a circle, said free edge joined at its extremities at points which are equidistant from said waistband; a single ply center panel partially overlapping said front panel and extending from the waistband to the bottom-most edge of said back panel between the cutaway portions and sewn to the back panel along said edge,

said center panel extending from said waistband in generally parallel seams along which it is sewn to said front panel, one side of said center panel being free along a portion of its length to cooperate with the free edge of said center panel, and binding pieces joining all of said panels to form frontward facing leg openings at said 0pposed cut-away portions; said center panel comprising two side-by-side pieces extending the full length of said panel, each of which is cut on a bias along a mating edge and being joined along said edge to form an elongated pouch portion; all of said panels being comprised of stabilized yarn.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 21,999 1/1942 Kneibler 2-224 2,191,169 2/1940 Katz 2224 2,243,643 5/1941 Murphey 2224 2,328,953 9/1943 Chatfield et al. 128159 FOREIGN PATENTS 824,703 12/1959 Great Britain.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

H. H. HUNTER, Assistant Examiner. 

